This invention relates generally to crop harvesting and particularly to a device and method for mechanically harvesting and processing celery or other similar, upstanding crop in the field. The invention is directed to a driven, self-contained harvesting and processing device capable of removing the plant from the soil, trimming the greens from the stalk, slicing the stalk pieces into pieces of predetermined dimensions, removing debris from the sliced pieces and grading the sliced pieces.
Historically, many food crops, such as celery, have been harvested on large truck farms, with much of the harvesting work conducted by manual laborers. In the growing industry, specialized devices to aid in the harvest have been developed, however these devices have mainly aided in post harvest handling, with manual labor still being required to cut the plant from its root, trim the leaves from the top of the plant, or place the harvested plant on a conveyor for further processing, such as slicing, grading, removal of extraneous debris, and washing. Consequently, prior known devices have suffered from economic or functional deficiencies, as they have provided only partial mechanization of the harvesting and processing procedure.
Further, none of the prior devices has been known to combine the functions of the present device while operating in the field.